T and method of forming sawse



(No Model.)

A.v HOFFMANN 8v H. W. FALK. RAIL JOINT AND METHOD 0F PORMING SAME.

No. 545,040. Patented Aug. 20, 1895.

ALEEFLT HOFFMAHN AND HERM V.

se.. am. 542,183. me man nd Metm's of Formia felowing um# im?, as

umm? ih@ Ju? improv'ed join may be forme-fl apen mil ends 'v am devoid of be apernre cfr eri" mton in he'r webs, or bassanges, am

1 Eesigna two haves or pars @fa oyed in ih@ formation of our imi rovee jointu in forming om* impl-eyed. mii-joint; we may u arcund amd mil ensvam unite tha Same ,f-ferfec union between Le rail ami tha mst-mami bov s. nec-e 'sa 'L0 cast "er, and

For me, ne

anfing of the .@sex-bed, the

IDO

.mold may be constructed in the' manner indicsted in iiig. i ofthe drawings-in which "the pour-hole or spine. F is made somewhat hie'her then the werden' F upon the opposite side ot' the mold fihis construction enables ihe molten meial to be poured into and through the mold, so as to canse seid metal to flow through the mold in contact with the snrfaees of the rail ends untii said rail ends have been heated to a snliiciently'bigrii temperature lo obtain the desired fusion of the enst metal tothe surfaces of scid rail ends.

We find that-in practice the heating of the mold in the manner before described, prior to iis application to the rail ends, is ordinarily snilicient to impart the necessary degree of heat to the rail ends, so that it is not necessar)T to permit any appreciable amount, of

- molten metal io overflow from the mold, in

order to obtain the desired fusion. 0n the other hand, Where the mold is applied to the 'rail ends without being heated, the desired temperature may be cbtsined by the described method of pouring the metal through ihe mold incontact with the mii ends.

As s further and separate improvement', :ind inorder to obtaintlis desired fusion of thc cast metal to the surfaces of the railencls without the necessity of raising the temperav tnre ot the rail ends to s very high degree, gre may employ a suitabie flux, which is applied to the surfaces oi the rail ends. For this purpose We may apply any suitable or desired linx to the rail ends-sncii, for instance, as a thinsheet or layer G o f -fnsible metal-@ts indicated in Fig. 3, which metal, upon the introduction of the moiten metal into the mold, will readily fuse and form a flux, by means of which the east-metal body and the rail ends will be eiiectnally fused tcgethe'r.

'We prefer, in practice, to form the metal body l) in substantially the mannerindicated in Fig. 2, its contrai part being made heavier orlhicker than the ends, thereby affording a heavier body of metal and greater strength :it the point where the mil ends abut against each other.

,ly the construction indicated in Fig. l, in which the nietai is flowed through apertures or perforations in the rail ends the parts of the metal body upon opposite sides of the webs or base flanges of the rail ends are very firmly and securely united together.

In 'forming our improved rail-joint the rail ends to be joined are first cleaned or brightcned, so as to remove any oxide or any foreign matter which might'adhere to the surfaces of the rail ends, when, by the applicationA of the heated molds previous to the operntion oi' casting thc metal body around the rail ends, any moisture will be expelled from the interior ot' the mold and from the surfaces of the rail ends, so that when the molten metal is poured into the mold the mold and the surfaces of thc rail ends will be in condisenese tion to facilitate insion'of the cast-metal body to the surfaces seid rnilends.

GE coni-se any desired ineens may be employed for heating the meid end the mil ends either before or afer'the mold has been ad' jnsted in position.

By onritnproi'ed form oijoint the rail ends are held togetn r so as to be eteetnally pre 'rented from springing or moving laterally or Yerticniiy, While by fusion of the castincisi body to the abutting rail ends sind ends, are held toggeher :and ali tendency of the rails to pui' apart when Acontraction of the rails takes n'ill'ilf eie'etnaily connteracted. Furthermore, he fusion of tire east-metal body to races of the rail ends, thc mils are 'elect v conde fibereby dispensing with the necessity of sepnmteiy bonding the rails when our improvement is ap'piied to the tracks or" electric railways.

By enr improvement, the rails being held in positive and nnyieiding contact with each other the'r shutting ends so that lonfgi tndinalmoveinent of the rails is impossible, the tra-.cits made not only very rirm and unyielding, but is i the same time rendered e.\'- @ceding/ly smooth even, andthe liability of the to wea-r at the joint in the track is eectnally obvintet By reason of the nesting ofthe mold and the rail ends previous to iiiing the mold. with the moltence'iai the chilling effect 0E the mold andthe rail ds when. the molten metal is brought into contact, therewith is obviated, and the resultant casting, which serves Ito. unite the the abutting rail ends, is rendered tongnand strong by reason si' the softness of the cest-iron, instead of being brittle, as wouldI be the case ii the casting were msdein o. chill or without previonsly heating the mold and the rail ends.

In joining the ends of rails or" an old track in which the rails are already in position we may produce satisfactory joints between said rail ends -Where the mil ends have 'pulled apart by inserting between said rail ends a thin section or shim, so as to fill tbespace between the mil ends when the body of metalbeing cast around the rail ends in the manner before described will firmly unite said vrail ends and said shim together end will 4thusproduce a Very even and smooth track for the car-Wheels.

By our improvement the joint between the` ends of the rails is made very much stronger than the ordinary form of fish-plate joint, and the track is rendered more firm and nnyielding at the points 'where the rail ends come to gather than at any other locality along thc track.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim ns new, and desire tc secure by Letters Patent of 4the United States, is-i 1. An improved method of forming rail joints, consisting in clesningthc rail ends to bc joined, forming or adjusting a mold upon said raii ends and over the joint so as to surone sd and causing it 1o pas down aman@ fue bse auges and up over we opposii side,

hamm maid. and sa-i" rail ends, pouring maken m-@a into said mold ami uniting said mea i@ iba Surfaces of ae Webs and upper ma@ 'lower faces of the base auges ofqsad mii ms uom 45 1" A l a j I ISU sting in eeaning he rml ani@ to a mo upm mid mi eslan we? ih@ sing 4o 

